Author's Note: As you might have guessed, my computer wasn't in for maintenance, today. I'm not sure when I'll be putting it in for repairs, yet. So, just so you all know, if I'm absent with my updates for a few days, that's the reason why. I am truly sorry about the mix-up.
On a different note, since I'll be working on finishing another of my projects, as well as working on a research essay, it might be a while before I get the next story up after I finish this one. Therefore, I'm going to make it up to you: if I get 15 or more reviews for this story, after the epilogue is posted, I'll submit a sneak-preview of my next story "The Legend of Zelda: Wrath of Majora." Like it? If so, please review! Thanks for understanding!
CHAPTER FIVE: SECRETS
The next day, some time after sunrise, Link was heading for the Highlands, for the Wind Sanctum, on Epona.
Zelda had told him of her discovery, about how her mother had left something in the Castle for her to find. She'd told him she intended to begin looking for it today. Well, he certainly hoped she found it, and that it showed her what she wanted to know.
Before long, he'd reached the Highlands, the hilly lands reaching ever-upwards into the mists. Epona could go no further, so Link dismounted, letting her graze contentedly, as he began to walk into the Highlands.
Link had been hiking for quite a while, but he still hadn't found anything. It was getting mistier and mistier, harder to see ahead of him. All of a sudden, he saw it: a tall tower of green stone – the Wind Sanctum. Link walked up the stairs leading to the doorway, and entered it.
The first room was completely empty, save for a deep pit in the center of the floor, and, a fair distance straight up, was a platform and the next door. Suddenly, a gust of wind shot up from the pit, with enough force to lift...well, anything. Link took a chance; when the next gust came, he leapt out into it. The gust carried him straight up, setting him down on the platform, right before the door. Link simply opened it, and continued on his way.
The next room was circular, and spinning around its center, at varying distances, were jagged, spiked metal blades: Blade Traps, designed to keep intruders out.
Quickly, Link darted across the room, keeping out of the paths of the Traps by stopping momentarily as the Traps passed him, before reaching the far side of the room and heading into the next chamber. The next room had only a treasure chest and another door blocked by metal bars, with four large crystals – Crystal Switches – in the room, one at each corner. Link opened the chest, and found an adult-sized, silvery-metal boomerang. "Link, that's a Magical Boomerang!" Navi exclaimed. "It can strike more than one target at once! If you concentrate, you can use it to hit multiple targets!"
That gave Link an idea. Taking aim, he pulled the Boomerang back, sighting each of the four Switches, marking them in his mind. Then, he threw the Magical Boomerang; the Boomerang made a perfect circular arc, striking each Switch before returning to Link's waiting hand. The bars on the door promptly slid away. Link put the Boomerang away, and headed into the next chamber.
The next room consisted of only a long, winding staircase. Link made his way up the staircase, and came out onto the roof of the Sanctum. Suddenly, he heard an inhuman roar, as a massive, stone-skinned, winged gargoyle dove from the misty skies, landing a few feet from Link. "Link, that's a Storm Gargoyle!" Navi cried. "Use your Boomerang to injure its wings, and then use your magic to crack its armored skin before attacking with your Sword!"
Roaring, the Gargoyle took to the air again, flying too fast to be seen in the mists. Then, Link saw the Gargoyle dive at him. Focusing on its wings, Link threw his Boomerang, striking both wings, and knocking the Gargoyle out of the air. Roaring angrily, the Gargoyle charged at Link, who leapt aside, readying a magic attack, and then cast his spell; the enchanted lightning seared towards the Gargoyle, chipping its stone-armored skin. The Gargoyle quickly recovered the use of its wings and took off again. Waiting for another dive, Link grounded it with his Boomerang, and used a Fire-magic spell, unleashing a deadly blast of enchanted flame, chipping its armor a bit more.
That spell had been more powerful; his training was paying off.
When the Gargoyle took to the air again, Link grounded it once more, and unleashed a third spell, a blast of raw power that nearly cracked the Gargoyle's armor clean off, as well as stunning it. Link was shocked; he'd never used magic that powerful, before. "Link!" Navi cried. "I just felt your powers increase significantly! I think you can use another Time Magic spell: Hyper-Time, one of the most powerful spells!"
"How does it work?" Link asked.
"Hyper-Time lets you exist outside the flow of Time!" Navi explained. "It lets you step outside of time, set up a series of attacks, and then step back in; once you do, the spell unleashes all of your attacks, one right after the other! Used correctly, it's incredibly powerful!"
By then, the Gargoyle had recovered, and had taken to the air. As the Gargoyle came at him for one more dive, Link focused his energy, and shouted, "Hyper-Time!"
Instantly, the familiar golden tint surrounded everything, save Link, as Time itself stopped, enabling Link to move between instants. Link concentrated as he pulled back, as if to throw his Boomerang, seeing himself throw it at the Gargoyle's wings. A shadowy outline of himself appeared, and Link stepped away; the outline remained in place, ready to throw the Boomerang – the attack was set. Stepping to the side a few feet, Link charged his magic, aiming a spell for where the Gargoyle would start to fall, setting another shadow-outline. Then, Link walked right next to where the Gargoyle would land, drew his Sword, and set up the last attack, releasing the power of the spell as he did.
The very instant that he did, Link was back at the spot where the Boomerang attack was set, and he threw it, striking the wings; in less than a second, he was at the next attack, blasting the Gargoyle with enchanted ice, blasting its armor off. Then, he was at its side, where he unleashed a series of sword-attacks, ending in a deadly leaping strike, utterly annihilating the Gargoyle.
Once the attack-combination was over, Link felt quite tired. "Whoa..." he said softly, "that's quite a spell."
Once the Gargoyle was no more, a ceremonial altar, made of pure jade, rose up from the tower, and upon it was a gleaming sphere of green light.
The Wind Essence.
Sheathing his weapons, Link walked to the altar, picked up the Essence, and put it away. Now, his quest was half-over; only two more Essences were left. Turning, Link began to leave the Sanctum, to report back to Hyrule Castle.
He hoped Zelda was having as much luck on her quest.
Across Hyrule, at the Castle, in the Royal Library, Zelda had already begun her search, retracing her mother's last footsteps, looking for clues. She wore her casual violet-and-pink gown, the one she always wore when not at formal occasions.
She'd already visited several of her mother's favorite spots in the Castle; first, she'd visited the Main Gardens, where she'd once tended the flowers she loved...like Zelda did. Then, she'd gone to the Ball Room balcony, where her mother had like to gaze at the stars...like she did.
Zelda had found that her mother was a lot like her, in many ways, judging from her habits. It made Zelda feel that, in some ways, she'd known her mother.
Continuing her search, Zelda kept looking in the library, searching for anything out-of-place, anything that her mother could have left to give her a clue as to where she'd hidden her secret. Finding nothing, Zelda sighed, idly leaning against a statuette on a small pedestal. She was never going to find it...
Suddenly, the pedestal shifted back, and the wall behind the pedestal moved, revealing a pathway behind it! This had to be what she was looking for! Zelda quickly darted into the pathway.
The path led to a long, dark corridor; completely dark, the way forward lit only by torches. The dark immediately put Zelda at ill ease. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd been deathly afraid of the dark; she didn't know why, she just was. Now, part of her very being was screaming at her to get out of there, but she couldn't, not now. Her curiosity, her desire to know about her origins wouldn't let her leave. Taking a deep breath, Zelda kept going.
After a while, Zelda saw a faint light, ahead of her. As she walked, the light began to glow brighter, and brighter, until she was inches away from it. She walked through...and found herself in an underground Fairy Fountain, a safe haven for small healing fairies; Link had told her about them, once. There was a fine, white stone path leading to the center, with shallow pools of pure water on either side, the entire Fountain a circular pool, surrounded by white stone columns that supported a white stone, domed roof. But there were no fairies in this Fountain; it was completely empty...except for something glowing of its own mystical power, resting on a pedestal in the center. Slowly, Zelda walked forward...and found that it was a beautiful tiara, fit for a fairy-princess. It was made of gleaming, light silver-blue metal, with a single, light pink gem in its center.
Was this what her mother wanted her to find? A tiara? Granted, it was beautiful...but how could a tiara answer her questions? Still, her mother had wanted her to have it, so Zelda reached out to take it.
The moment she touched it, the tiara began to glow brighter, and then, before Zelda, a beautiful woman, in her mid-thirties, appeared, seeming to be somewhat transparent. She was tall, a bit more than her, and delicate, like she was. Her eyes were blue, like hers, and her skin was fair, like hers, with long hair, a mixture of silver and gold – the gold was the same shade of blond as her hair. She wore a gleaming, silvery gown, and a crystal tiara...with a pair of beautiful fairy-wings extending from her back.
Zelda gasped. She knew who this was, who it had to be. "M...Mother?" she sniffed, fighting back tears.
The radiant spirit smiled. "Yes, Zelda. I am Alara, your mother." she cooed. "My spirit has been waiting for you here, until your magic awoke in you, when you would seek me out." Alara took a second to look at her daughter. "Zelda, look at you!" she gushed. "You're all grown up!"
"Mother...why did you and Father keep this from me?" Zelda asked.
Alara looked troubled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie, but we had to." she said. "If we'd told you, you'd have tried to make yourself use your magic. Fairy-magic has to grow, undisturbed." She giggled. "Of course, there were times when you inadvertently used it, which was to be expected. Oh, you were so adorable whenever you knocked over a suit of armor!"
Zelda's eyes widened. "You...knew about that?" she asked, smiling.
"Sweetie, I've been watching over you since you were born." Alara replied.
Zelda's smile grew. "But, Mother...what exactly am I?" she inquired. "Am I a Fairy, or a Hylian?
"You're both, sweetie. You are a wonderful mix of both." Alara answered.
"So I'm a...half-Fairy?" Zelda asked.
"You are unique, honey." Alara answered. "You have very special powers, strong powers, which you can do so much good with." She giggled to herself. "I suppose Clairvoya was right."
"Who?" Zelda asked.
"My eldest sister." Alara explained. "But, maybe I'd better show you." Then, she simply touched her hand to Zelda's forehead.
At once, the scene before Zelda changed to that of the throne room. Zelda saw her father, only slightly younger-looking, sitting at his throne. A few feet away was a lovely cradle, and in it was a new-born baby girl, only a few days old.
"This is your birth-ceremony, Zelda." Alara cooed. "That little baby is you."
"This is...in the past?" Zelda asked. It...seemed to make sense. Then, something struck her as odd. "Mother, birth-ceremonies in the Court usually involve many officials. No-one is here."
"Very observant!" Alara chirped. "The 'official' ceremony has already finished. Your father ordered the rest to be kept private...because he'd also invited some very special guests."
"Who?" Zelda asked.
"My four elder sisters, your Aunts." Alara replied. "And here they come!"
As if on cue, four winged balls of colored light flew into the room through an open window, landing around the cradle, evenly spaced. The colored sprites then became full-sized women. One was mildly tall, of slight build, with chestnut hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion, clad in a light green gown. The next was a bit shorter, slightly plump, with mid-length black hair and blue eyes, with a bright smile on her face, clad in a deep blue dress. The third was a bit tall, of delicate build, with ruby-red hair and emerald eyes, clad in a red gown. The last one was the tallest of the four, elegantly built, clad in a long, silver-grey cloak, with a hood that completely covered her face, save her mouth and some of her nose.
All four had fairy-wings, and the first three held wands.
"Those are my sisters." Alara said. She pointed to the first. "That's Melody, the second-youngest. She was always so sweet and kind, and she loved music." Pointing to the second, she added, "That's Joy, the middle child. She's always cheerful and upbeat, always ready to pick someone up when they're down!" Pointing to the third, she continued, "That's Serenity. She's the most gentle soul anyone could ever meet. She's the second-oldest of my sisters." Pointing to the last one, Alara finished, "And that's Clairvoya, the eldest of my sisters, and the most powerful. Her magic is stronger than the rest of ours combined! Plus, she has a gift that very few Fairies have: she can see into the future. Clairvoya's always been the quietest of us. I never really knew her that well, nor did any of my other sisters; she always...kept to herself. She was nice enough when we saw her, but we just didn't see her very often."
"Why not?" Zelda asked.
"I wish I knew." Alara replied. "My sisters thought that, because Clairvoya was so much more powerful than us, she felt...isolated."
Then, her father spoke: "I'm...very glad that you all came here."
"How could we not?" Melody asked, as she smiled at the baby Zelda. "We had to come see our dear Alara's child!"
Joy looked at Zelda's younger self in the crib. "She already has Alara's gifts of beauty and magic." she gushed. "We have our own gifts to give to Alara's child."
Melody held up her wand. "Dear Zelda," she began, "my gift is the gift of Song, so that you may bring joy to any and all who hear your sweetest melodies." She waved her wand over the crib, sprinkling green, shimmery powder over the young Zelda.
Next it was Joy's turn. "Sweet Zelda," she said, "my gift is the gift of Kindness, so that all who meet you will adore your sweet nature." The wavings of her wand sprinkled blue dust over the crib.
Next was Serenity. "Gentle Zelda," she said, "my gift is the gift of Gentleness, so that your words may soothe and comfort those who need you." Her wand left sprinkles of light pink dust on the crib.
Now it was Clairvoya's turn. "My gift is the gift of a prophecy." she said softly. Gently, she stretched out her hand, holding it over the young Zelda, concentrating. "The princess Zelda will indeed grow, in beauty and in grace, beloved by all who know her...but a shadow begins to draw near. Even now, it is coming, and it threatens to choke the life from her."
Zelda heard her father gasp.
"This same shadow threatens to poison all of Hyrule with its darkness." Clairvoya continued. "Yet all is not lost, for now a great light draws near, casting back the shadow. This light...is a man...a man chosen by divine power...born of the sky...raised in green...to defeat the dark. His fate and Zelda's fate are linked..." her voice trailed off. "I can see no more." she finished. "Now, a gift from all of us, one that Alara instructed us to give."
Slowly, Clairvoya raised her hand, as the others raised their wands, chanting together, "This last gift we give to thee, as symbol of thy royalty. We give you this Glimmer Tiara...for you, dear child of sweet Alara." Their combined magic formed the tiara that Zelda had found. Then, her four Aunts changed into their smaller forms, and flew away, and Zelda found herself back in the Castle depths, with her mother's spirit.
"So, this is...the Glimmer Tiara?" Zelda asked. "It will give me my powers?"
Alara lightly laughed. "No, sweetie; your magic has always been inside of you!" She handed the Tiara to her daughter. When Zelda touched it, it vanished in a flash of light, which darted into her body, its energy melding with her magic. "The Tiara will simply make you more aware of your magic, help you use it."
Zelda smiled. "Thank you, Mother."
Alara smiled back. "So, sweetie, now that you're all grown up...is there someone special in your life?"
"Mother!" Zelda cried, blushing.
"Well?" Alara asked.
Suppressing her blush, Zelda replied, "His name is Link. He's kind, brave, selfless, gentle, caring...everything a woman could possibly want. I know he'd be the most perfect King; the kind of King that a kingdom could love and respect, and revere in story and song; the kind of King that no enemy would dare oppose; and the kind of King that a Queen...or a Queen-to-be...could love forever." She couldn't help but sigh dreamily. "I love him, with all my heart and soul, and he loves me."
Alara smiled. "I'm so glad for you, sweetie." she said. Then, she frowned. "I have to go, now, Zelda...but I'll always be watching over you."
"I know." Zelda said. Then, she gave her mother a big hug. "I love you, Mommy."
"Oh, I love you, too, honey." her mother replied, returning the hug. "Good-bye!" Then, she was gone, and Zelda was alone.
Zelda felt reassured after meeting her mother; her questions had been answered, and she found that she liked what she'd learned about herself and her origins...and her curiosity about her new powers had only grown. She couldn't wait to try them out. Turning, Zelda headed back the way she came, leaving the Fountain.
Zelda came to her and Link's secret place, for privacy. It was time to use her new magic. She shut her eyes, concentrating hard.
Nothing happened.
Zelda doubled her focus...to no avail. 'Mother said that my powers are a part of me,' she thought, 'but how do I make them work?'
She sighed. "Maybe I'm trying too hard." she said to herself. She had wanted to try her powers so much...
Suddenly, she felt a warm, tingling sensation, deep within herself. Startled, Zelda perked up, and the tingle stopped. Had her powers started to work? But she hadn't been thinking about it...
Then it hit her. Thought wasn't the trigger; emotion was.
Zelda stood up, and closed her eyes; her desire to learn of her past had led her to her mother. And now her desire to use her powers would awaken them.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of energy wash over her, starting from inside her and spreading outwards, cleansing her, energizing her...
When the wave had finished, Zelda put her hand to her head; she felt so dizzy. She took a few steps, stopping at the little fountain in the center of the garden.
When she removed her hand, Zelda looked into the pool...and froze, for the reflection she saw of herself was not what she'd seen before. Mostly, her physical form was unchanged, but her outfit was very different. She now wore a sparkling, sleeveless, silver blue, halter-style tank top, accentuating her curves and leaving her slim midriff exposed. She also wore a matching short skirt, the same sparkly silver-blue, covering her down to her mid-thigh. On her feet were high-heeled silver-colored shoes; the heels were just the right size for her. On her forehead was the Glimmer Tiara – a perfect fit. On her arms were light-blue, silken, long gloves, covering her arms from past her elbows to the backs of her hands.
But what completed the package was the pair of semi-translucent, light blue, gossamer fairy-wings that now extended from her back. They resembled the wings of a butterfly, with each wing composed of a large upper segment and a slightly smaller lower segment, each wing slightly more extended than a butterfly wing would be.
Slowly, giddily, Zelda turned around, peering over her shoulder, to make sure these wings were really hers. Sure enough, her reflection revealed that the wings were, indeed, extending from her shoulder blades, a natural powdery sparkle occurring where mortal skin turned to fluttering, gossamer wing.
They were her wings. She was a Fairy! A real, live, magical Fairy! Zelda was thrilled with her new discovery. All she needed to do now was learn to fly, and she couldn't wait!
Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted right off the ground, and she heard a soft fluttering noise behind her. At first, Zelda was scared...until she looked down at her reflection and saw that it was her own fluttering wings that were the culprit. She was flying!
Zelda was amazed, as she temporarily touched down. She felt so alive, so full of energy, so happy. 'This must be what being a Fairy feels like.' she thought, as she felt herself starting to lift off, once more; her emotions were triggering her powers. Then, looking up into the sky, she decided to have her very first "solo flight."
Focusing, reining in her emotion enough to direct her flight, Zelda began to rise up again, her wings rapidly fluttering. It was so easy; all she had to do was want to fly to a point, and her wings did the rest. She flew up, up, to the highest tower of Hyrule Castle, landing gracefully on the top of the tower, gracefully balancing on one foot on the tower's tip.
The view of Hyrule was beautiful from here; Zelda could see everything, from Death Mountain all the way to Lake Hylia. Then, she flew up even higher, up into the clouds.
It was time to try out her other powers.
Now Zelda was high up in the clouds where, if she messed up her magic, no-one would get hurt. Zelda concentrated, and a ball of silver-blue magical energy formed in her hand. Zelda threw the ball at an imaginary target – a cloud. The ball detonated in a fairly impressive blast, dissipating the cloud. Zelda threw two more practice-blasts, in rapid-fire succession...and the hovering young Fairy-princess suddenly began to sink, her energy levels taking a slight dip. "That's probably enough for now." she said to herself. Then, she flew back under the cloud-cover, flying over Hyrule Field...and her heart leapt for joy as she saw Link riding towards Hyrule Castle. She flew in his direction, to surprise him.
Nearing Hyrule Castle, Link told Epona to slow down. He was almost there; no need to rush. He wondered how Zelda was doing in her search...
"Hi, Link!"
"Whoa!" Link cried, both in surprise and in instruction to Epona, who obediently stopped. Link quickly looked around, and saw no-one. It had sounded like...Zelda...
"Up here!"
Promptly, Link looked up...and his jaw nearly hit the ground as he beheld Zelda, in a sparkling silver-blue outfit, with beautiful fairy-wings, a lovely light-blue aura around her, making her skin seem to sparkle.
She was utterly breathtaking.
Zelda must have seen his funny face, for she rewarded him with her enchanting laughter. "Do I look that strange?" she teased.
"Zelda," Link began, finding his voice, " 'strange' is the last word I would use. By the Three, Zel...you're...you're...absolutely dazzling!"
Zelda gave him her sweet smile, and her lovely face gained an equally lovely rosy tint. "Really?" she asked.
"How can you doubt it?" Link asked.
Zelda's happy smile grew...and then she began to falter in the air. "Um...I'm a little tired." she admitted. "Could you..?"
At once, Link held out his arms to her, ready to catch her. Smiling sweetly, Zelda began to descend, her fluttering wings slowing. Gently, Link caught her around her waist, and let her ease into his waiting arms; her skin was softer than the softest silk to his touch.
Zelda sighed happily as she settled in Link's arms. "You're such a gentleman." she cooed, cuddling into him.
Then, Navi darted out of Link's cap. "So, Princess Zelda, I guess you've discovered your powers." she said. Zelda nodded. "Well, I'd better fill you in on some details about your powers and abilities as a Fairy." Navi continued. "First, a Fairy's powers are triggered by emotions; a Fairy has to be in a positive emotional state for her powers to work at an optimal level. Because of this, when you're in your Fairy-form, your emotions will be more intense than what you're used to."
"I see." Zelda replied.
"Also," Navi continued, "Fairy-magic doesn't work very well in intense darkness. That's why many Fairies are afraid of the dark."
"I've been afraid of the dark ever since I was little, but I never knew why." Zelda admitted. "Now I do."
"And here's the real thing to remember." Navi finished. "When a Fairy gets caught – be it in a glass bottle, a net, or something else like it – her powers don't work at all; she's completely helpless. That's why Fairies that are my size can be caught in bug-catching nets."
Zelda nodded. "Navi," she asked, "since I'm a Fairy, am I going to shrink to your size?"
"No!" Navi laughed. "Fairies come in all sizes! I'm the small kind, and you're the tall kind!"
Both Link and Zelda laughed with Navi...and then the itching sensation on Link's right hand came back, worse than ever...and then it became agonizing, as if his hand was on fire! "Arrgghh!" Link howled.
"Link, what's wrong!" Zelda cried.
"My...hand..." Link choked out through the agony. He removed his right gauntlet...just in time to see a symbol form onto the back of his hand. The symbol was that of a golden merlin-falcon, diving from the sky, talons at the ready, a gleaming star behind it, its golden rays shining. The instant the symbol appeared, Link's pain stopped.
It was the same symbol that was on the medallion he now wore under his tunic.
"What is that?" Link asked aloud, gazing at his hand.
"I...I don't know..." Navi murmured. "I've never seen it anywhere but on your medallion and at the place where we found you, Link. Earlier today...your magic power more than doubled, Link. Could this have something to do with it?"
"I don't know." Link said. To himself, he added, very softly, "Who am I?"
By then, they were fairly close to the Castle, and Zelda, with renewed energy, said, "Link, can I fly again? I want to surprise Daddy!"
Link laughed. "Of course you can, Zel! The skies are free!" he said. At that, Zelda squealed happily, hugging him and giving him a peck on the cheek, before she took to the air again. Link was content to watch his love in her joyful flight.
Though he would likely never learn the secrets of his past, he was glad that Zelda had discovered the secrets of her origins.
It was mid-morning at Hyrule Castle, and Andreus was in his study, doing paperwork; Link had recently departed for the Wind Sanctum, and Zelda had started her search for her mother's secret. He hoped they both were well...
"Uh...Sire?"
Looking up, Andreus saw a young messenger peeking his head into the study. "I humbly beg your pardon, Sire, but I'd thought you would want to be informed of this immediately." the lad said.
Andreus paused. "Very well, lad." he said.
"We've received word that a messenger will be here very soon, Sire."
Andreus arched an eyebrow. "From what country?" he inquired.
The lad looked very nervous. "From...from Aldare, Sire."
Andreus nearly choked. "The Aldarian Empire!" he exclaimed. "You're certain!"
"Yes, Sire." the lad said. "A ship from Aldare will be here, very soon."
"Very good." Andreus said, calming. "You did well to inform me. Go and make ready for them." At once, the lad bowed, and hurried off.
In his mind, Andreus was still worried. The Aldarian Empire was the most powerful nation in the world; they were masters of both science and magic. They had long learned to combine the two, enabling them to work wonders. Aldare was the most advanced civilization on the planet, centuries...no, millennia ahead of Hyrule, and everyone else, for that matter. Aldare's cities were not built on the ground, but floated in the sky, though they still had a handful of land- and sea-based colonies. The Aldarian Army was the strongest, best-trained, best-equipped armed force in the world, and the Aldarian Imperial Fleet...the Fleet was composed of Aldare's finest 'Skyships', powerful vessels that flew in the sky, and could travel at speeds that made them invisible to the naked eye. Many of these Skyships were huge, gleaming colossi, larger than the entire Hyrulian sea-fleet combined.
Why in Hyrule would Aldare be coming here?
Andreus quickly left his study, hurrying outside, to be ready for this messenger. He reached the Outer Courtyard just in time; there was a flash of light, and a vessel appeared above their heads, seemingly stretching far off into the horizon, its bow having reached Hyrule, its stern still lagging far behind. Then, half an instant later, the stern caught up.
The ship was not one of the colossal vessels that were the backbone of Aldare's Fleet; it was about the size of a house, shaped like a rectangular parallelogram, its sides rounded a bit where its edges would be. The bow of the ship was the front-sloping end, with a pane of glass built into it, so the pilot could see, Andreus guessed. Extending from the sides were what appeared to be pods; engines, Andreus believed they were called, which enabled the vessel to fly.
The ship flew towards the Castle, at impressive speeds, before effortlessly slowing, and then stopping in front of Andreus, hovering there. The pods retracted seamlessly into the ship, and the ship turned around, revealing a large hatch on the stern. The hatch hissed open, lowering like a drawbridge, and the messenger walked out.
The messenger was an Aldarian Centurion, one of the elite soldiers of Aldare's army. The Centurion wore a full suit of dark violet metal armor, completely covering his body. He wore a full helmet with a glass visor, which had a mirrored surface, making it impossible to see the Centurion's face, giving him a cold, soulless, machine-like quality.
The Centurion saluted him. "I bring greetings from Aldare, King Andreus." he said, his voice metallic from his helmet. Then, the Centurion tapped part of his helmet; at once, the visor slid up, revealing the face of a young man. The Centurion then removed his helmet, and Andreus was surprised. Why, the Aldarians were practically identical to the Hylians, if this Centurion was a prime example!
Andreus simply nodded, suppressing his amazement. "Well met." he replied. "What brings you here?"
"I bring a message from the Emperor, himself." the Centurion said, causing Andreus' eyes to widen in amazement. His eyes widened more at the next one: "The Emperor will be visiting Hyrule within three days, to discuss a matter of grave importance."
Andreus managed to keep outwardly calm. "Tell me...what could be so important that the Emperor would want to come here?"
"The message I carry will explain it." the Centurion said. He took out a small device, and pulled it open, extending it; the device instantly became a notepad-like device, using light instead of paper, with the message typed on it. The Centurion handed the device to Andreus. "This holographic letter details the issue that has recently come to the Emperor's attention. The Emperor requests that this be kept strictly confidential until a positive identification can be made."
Andreus took the notepad, read it over...and gasped in astonishment. He understood why the Emperor wanted this to be kept quiet until they were sure. If this were true...
...it would change everything.